N.B. Retailers Say Looser Covid Restrictions Put A ‘Target’ On Their Backs
MONCTON–Looser Covid-19 restrictions in New Brunswick start on February 28–but retailers say those restrictions leave them in a difficult predicament.
“Whether it was inadvertent or not, the province of New Brunswick is targeting the retail sector for continued restrictions while they’re eliminating most Covid restrictions for all other businesses,” says Jim Cormier, the Atlantic director for the Retail Council of Canada.
While proof of vaccination will no longer be required for New Brunswick businesses, people must still maintain physical distancing and wear masks inside a retail store until all Covid-19 restrictions are lifted on March 14.
That means store owners will, for a time, have to keep limiting the number of customers they can let in–and continue to absorb the costs of not being able to maximize their space.
RELATED: All Covid-19 Restrictions In N.B. Will Be Lifted By March 14
Cormier says being singled out as the only public-facing business sector that still has to maintain physical distancing rules means retail businesses will have a target on their back from most of the remaining anti-Covid-19, anti-authority agitators in the province.
“When you work in a front-facing industry like retail, you as an employee have been dealing with two years of … grumpy customers and, at times, outright belligerent customers that are anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers,” said Cormier. “This puts an even bigger target on these retailers now that retail is the only business left that still has to enforce these types of rules.”
This, Cormier says, creates difficult and potentially dangerous situations for the retail sector and its employees.
“You’ll be able to put 100 people into a karaoke bar where everybody can stand shoulder to shoulder, have drinks, and have a great time,” he said. “We’d really like to be extended the same courtesy for all of the retail sector, including those Mom and Pop independent retailers that have been struggling for the last two years.”
Cormier says the government understands the Retail Council of Canada’s concerns and are talking to the Council about it. However, the government hasn’t expressed any willingness yet to make changes.
Huddle reached out to the Government of New Brunswick for comment but did not hear back by our publication deadline.
“We understand to change a mandatory order can’t just happen with a snap of a finger, so we’re not expecting that this can be changed overnight,” Cormier said. “But given the fact that the restrictions will all be lifted as of March 14, it still creates over two weeks where you’re going to have retailers being treated with a much different manner from the rest of the business community – and we just don’t feel that’s fair.”
Elizabeth MacLeod is a Saint John reporter with Huddle and Acadia Broadcasting radio stations. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].